What gives you hope for the future?
The overall direction of evolution toward divinity gives me abiding hope. The world is becoming more loving, more wise, more safe and more well as time passes, even as we have more ways we can and do fall back into the ugly mess of our past. The emergence of integral has been such a refreshing and enlivening discovery for me, and the hope that fills me with has been like nothing else. To know that we have the potential to leave nothing outside our embrace, love and knowing imparts courage and a will to truly change the world. Knowing I and others will not be turning away from a radiant future has my veins flowing with hope.
What would you do if you had $10 million in the bank?
I’d first set aside the first million in some sort of interest-earning set-up so that I could live comfortably on the interest and have money to fall back on in case of an emergency. I’d keep a second million handy for personal development and tools, helping out some folks near and dear to me, and travel. The remaining 8 million I would use to invest in or donate to initiatives and organizations promoting integral solutions and benefits (I-I, Zaadz).
If you were the CEO of Wal-mart, what would you do?
I’d first undertake a company-wide assessment of ways to improve the company’s impact on environmental, social, worker and customer spheres. I’d implement changes that would have the greatest overall benefit, and ensure the process was going smoothly. I’d next launch a large rebranding campaign to bring focus to the values behind the price tag value, creating a multi-tiered presentation to bring to light as much of the good the company does as possible.
If you could start any kind of business, what would it be?
I’m increasingly interested in how creators can make a living through online activity. A publishing company focused on online delivery would be ideal to explore this. I’d initially focus on how to present fiction in ways that are in tune with the medium of websites; easily digested, easily followed and interactive would be key traits of the way I’d try to frame the content. Comics and graphic novels are prime for online reading, I believe, so I’d include that as a major initiative for the company.
If you could live your life over again, what would you change?
This is always a tough one, as the clichĂ© of “I wouldn’t be who I am today without all I’ve lived,” is very true. But suspending that I would have done a lot of things differently, broadly cutting out the ways I needlessly hurt others or myself. If there was only one major change to make, I’d have studied psychology instead of computer science while in university, because I have such a strong interest in it now and would love to have the means to use it professionally.